Is it good for a dog to suck a wound?

The image of the dog licking its wounds is very iconic, in fact it is so popular that in our language it has given rise to a saying. Dogs, like many other animals , lick each other when they have an open wound or when something hurts them, but is it true that it heals?

Anyone who has had a dog at home will have noticed that, when we get hurt, our four-legged companion comes quickly and offers to suck the wounds. As many people have doubts about how hygienic or unhygienic to let our dog lick us, in .com we will solve the question of whether it is good for a dog to suck a wound .

What science says about the licking of dogs

The instinctive action carried out by dogs and many other species of licking wounds to heal has not gone unnoticed by scientists, who have tried to find the reason for that behavior.

The studies that have been conducted have found in the saliva of dogs the enzyme lysozyme, which damages bacteria and can cope with infections . An example of this is the fact that oral wounds heal faster than dermal wounds, and the responsible could be this enzyme.

Other components of saliva such as opiorphine have analgesic effects, besides this dog's oral liquid contains ascorbic acid, which when reacted with nitrates present in the skin, causes nitrogen monoxide to concentrate, helping to heal and disinfect wounds.

But beyond what the cold facts say, there are other aspects that we must take into account before clarifying if it is good for a dog to suck a wound.

Is it good for a dog to suck a wound?

Although saliva may contain certain substances that could be beneficial in helping to heal wounds, only with a little common sense can we conclude that letting your dog lick your wound is not a good decision .

It is true that the saliva of dogs has antibacterial properties, however, only observing the daily actions performed by a dog every day, we can guess that it also has bacteriological components . Licking excrement, urine, other dogs, sniffing the floor or wiping your own genitals with your mouth are some of these actions that can leave a dangerous trace of bacteria on your tongue and, by licking a wound, can infect you and get everything contrary to what you proposed.

So, the answer is very strong: it is not good for a dog to suck a wound, because more than cure it, it may infect you. In addition, the humidity is not good for them to heal, the more exposed to the air and before it dries, the easier the skin will have to regenerate and heal a wound.

Should I let him lick his wounds?

The main reason why dogs lick is not why they know that saliva will help them heal the wound, but mostly because the wound hurts and itches. Even so, the instinct leads him to lick his wounds, something that possibly in a wild environment might be helpful, but in a domestic environment like ours is not, even close, the best option.

When a dog is operated on or has an open wound, the first action that the veterinarian carries out after disinfecting it is to put on the Elizabethan collar, that parabolic funnel spit that is placed around the neck so that they can not be scratched. lick the wounds .

In this way, not only is it not good for your dog to lick your wounds, nor should you let him lick his own, it is always better for a veterinarian to take care of it and apply the necessary sanitary measures for its proper healing.